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Nevermind
Nevermind is Nirvana's second album and by far the most popular one. It was released September 24th, 1991 and was produced by Butch Vig. Despite low commercial expectations by the band and its record label, Nevermind became a surprise success in late 1991, largely due to the popularity of its first single, Smells Like Teen Spirit. By January 1992, it had replaced Michael Jackson's album Dangerous at number one on the Billboard charts. The Recording Industry Association of America has certified the album ten times platinum (10 million copies shipped). Nevermind was responsible for bringing alternative rock to a large mainstream audience, and critics subsequently regarded it as one of the best rock albums of all time. History Even though Bleach was the first album to begin exploring Grunge, Nevermind became popular for more use of it. While Nevermind was originally supposed to be named "Sheep", but was quickly changed. Lead singer and guitarist, Kurt Cobain, sought to make music outside of the restrictive confines of the Seattle grunge scene, drawing influence from groups such as the Pixies and their use of loud/quiet song dynamics. Butch Vig was asked to produce the album, even though a number of producers attempted to do it. Dave Grohl, the drummer for Nirvana, said that Cobain told him, "Music comes first, lyrics come second," and Grohl believes that above all Cobain focused on the melodies of his songs. Cobain was still working on the album's lyrics well into the recording of Nevermind. Additionally, Cobain's phrasing on the album is often difficult to understand. Vig asserted that clarity of Cobain's singing was not paramount. Vig said, "Even though you couldn't quite tell what he was singing about, you knew it was intense as hell." Cobain would later complain when rock journalists attempted to decipher his singing and extract meaning from his lyrics, writing "Why in the hell do journalists insist on coming up with a second-rate Freudian evaluation of my lyrics, when 90 percent of the time they've transcribed them incorrectly?" Charles R. Cross asserted in his 2001 biography of Kurt Cobain, Heavier Than Heaven, that many of the songs written for Nevermind were about Cobain's dysfunctional relationship with Tobi Vail. After the relationship ended, Cobain began writing and painting violent scenes, many of which revealed hatred for himself and others. Songs written during this period were less violent, but still reflected anger absent from Cobain's earlier songs. Cobain used Fender guitars for Nevermind and added in distortion and chorus pedals as his main effects. the latter used to generate a "watery" sound on "Come as You Are" and the pre-choruses of "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Krist Novoselic tuned down his bass one and a half steps to D flat "to get this fat-ass sound". Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Nevermind as 17 in "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" The front of the album for Nevermind has become quite popular, with the naked baby swimming underwater for a dollar. Track Listing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl) – 5:01 "In Bloom" – 4:14 "Come as You Are" – 3:39 "Breed" – 3:03 "Lithium" – 4:17 "Polly" – 2:57 "Territorial Pissings" – 2:22 "Drain You" – 3:43 "Lounge Act" – 2:36 "Stay Away" – 3:32 "On a Plain" – 3:16 "Something in the Way" – 3:55 Personnel Kurt Cobain – vocals, guitar, photography Krist Novoselic – bass guitar Dave Grohl – drums Kirk Canning – cello on "Something in the Way" Chad Channing – cymbals on "Polly" (uncredited) Craig Doubet – assistant engineering, mixing Spencer Elden – infant in cover photo Robert Fisher – artwork, art direction, design, cover design Michael Lavine – photography Jeff Sheehan – assistant engineer Butch Vig – co-producer, engineer Andy Wallace – mixing Howie Weinberg – mastering Kirk Weddle – cover photo Contributions to Guitar Hero Breed/Guitar Hero: On Tour Lithium (live)/Guitar Hero 5 Smells Like Teen Spirit/Guitar Hero 5 Category:Albums